Dreamer's Dance.

As some people here know, I was very ill last year (nearly died from an allergic reaction to an antibiotic) so I was out of circulation for a long time. Then I got busy and musical inspiration has been so lacking it was seriously upsetting to even try writing music for a while. Every time I sat down I could get a tune started but couldn't get any further than the first few bars. It was painful. Anyway, recently I decided to work on something relatively simple and it seems to have worked. Trying to go back to where I was without doing some easier pieces first didn't work, so here's a light piece that hopefully will plant a few smiles here and there.

Thanks for the welcome.
I wasn't sure how many people would remember me after so long. Nice to see many of the old faces still about here. Thanks for the compliment too, I'm glad it shows how hard I m trying to do this well.

Ever evolving...
The sense of counterpoint and harmonic direction continue to get more focused in your work. Experimenting with harmony beyond I and V, possibly drifting into adjacent keys for a bit, would give you even greater freedom in developing your melodic ideas. It is, though, such a pleasure to hear your music and how it is becoming increasingly sophisticated and nuanced. Glad you are composing again and that your health has improved, too.

Thanks Paul.
You've helped, as one of those making some of the most detailed constructive criticisms. This piece sounded so fragmentary in the first version I didn't even need feedback to work out that something was wrong. Discarding much of the material and putting the rest to better use proved to be what made this so much better I thought I'd post it.

And yes, what a huge relief to be composing again, and to actually finish something.

Thank you.
I'm glad you noticed the multiple melody lines; counterpoint is so important in this kind of music that I wouldn't get anywhere if I didn't learn about it. It's fun to write as well, though the more simultaneous lines you have going the harder it gets to keep it all under control, and this is very simple compared to some of the pieces I have planned! Anyway, thanks for listening and taking the trouble to comment.

wow...
Can only imagine how tough that must have been...Very glad you recovered and find inspiration in creating music again!
This really is fun to listen to. Sweet and playful. Only positive emotions evoked:)

Sorry
I didn't get the "simple" in this ;-) Seems pretty elaborate to me. But simple or not, I do like it a lot, and you succeed in conveying a positive feeling. You've even got that triangle(?) at the end :-)

People who have made an impression is never forgotten at MJ, BTW. Seems like yesterday to me, but welcome back and glad you are well again!

Yes, it's a triangle. :-)
Simple is relative; some of the other pieces I am working on are lot more complex than this, so it seemed very simple when I looked at it in the Logic Score Editor. Thanks for the generous comment, nice to know I made an impression!

Thanks for the listen and comment.
Had a little fun with this, it's kind of three verses, with variations on the same melody repeated by different sections of the orchestra, strings, woodwind and then the horns, with some careful counterpoint in each case from the remainder of the orchestra. Simple enough to think of it but it took some effort to tie it all together; at first it sounded like fragments of three waltzes rather than a single tune. Worht it in the end though. Thanks again for visiting!

Dreamer's Dance
Glad your health has improved and the muse it back with you. This is playful and happy. The 3/4 time makes you want to move in time. Simple, maybe. Effective, definitely. Welcome back. Stay strong. Regards, Peter.

Good post!
Simple, yes, but certainly in a good way. I've tried doing this sort of thing a couple of times with nowhere near the competence that you show here. Counterpoint is definitely what was missing in my amateur attempts, and I'll use this piece as a lesson next time I try it.
Jack's comment re the coffee commercial nailed it here. This is really accessible, memorable and fun to listen to. Just what is required in a "commercial context" - I'm hearing more a TV theme, but same idea.
Instruments sound good and the various bits fit together nicely.
Glad to hear you are back in action.
Cheers from Oz,
Neil

Counterpoint is most music when you think about it.
Any time someone writes a song with a bass line and a main melody that's counterpoint. I have used the orchestra here to produce a bass line and up to three other lines at once, so it hopefully has enough detail to keep the listener interested even though the basic melodies are fairly simple. If this helps you when you try your own orchestral compositions that will be great, I've had so much help from MacJammers that it is great to be able to help someone else here. Thanks for the listen and the comment.

lasties
Well hopefully not lasties but it was nice to see your comment on my current song. I was off here for 3 years but then the muse came back! Someone told me the secret to creativity is capture. it certainly helped me jotting everything down on my phone. Nice tune. Lets here more!

Living in London, England, and I love the place.
I have masses of energy and tons of interests, far too many to list here, even if I restricted myself to my musical tastes.
Grew up in a small town, knew nothing much till I left and came to Lond... [see more]